A Close Call
by MovieBuffStarlet
Summary: As children,Angel and Mimi run into trouble while playing in a local park. Oneshot.


_A/N: FYI, Angel is ten in this fic and Mimi is nine._

As much as she enjoyed hanging out with Angel, Mimi was just plain _tired_ of walking and talking…

"_Tag_! You're it!!" Mimi noisily smacked a unsuspecting Angel on the back. Hard…harder than she meant to. Oh well.

"_Ouch_!" Angel half yelped, half laughed. He whirled around to face his friend, who was cringing and snickering. She was backing away from him slowly.

"Dang, Mimi! That _hurt_!" He winced, still grinning.

"I know!" Mimi smirked wickedly.

"I'm gonna have to get you back, chica…" Angel poised his hands, ready to attack her with tickles. He advanced on her, flashing her an evil smile.

"Noooo!!" The spunky girl spun around and took off, shrieking with laughter.

Running with all of your might while laughing hysterically is a very hard thing to do, usually one wins out over the other. Laughter tends to sap your strength. To her horror, Mimi could feel herself slowing down as she cackled breathlessly. She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Angel, who was hot on her trail, stop suddenly.

"Look out, Mimi!"

"Oh, please!" She stuck her tongue out at him, still jogging, her head still turned to face him. "I'm not gonna fall for-"

_WHAM_!

"_Oooof_!" Sure enough, Mimi had crashed into someone. The force of the collision sent her sprawling onto her back on the grass.

Angel bit his lip, trying not to laugh. He ran over to her and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

Mimi shook off the stars and brushed the grass stains off her pants. She struggled to catch her breath . "Yeah…I think so." She shot the motionless man whom she had ran into a dirty look.

Angel, however, gave him an apologetic one. "We're sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

The man said nothing. He continued to stare at the children with cold eyes, causing Angel to shiver.

The three of them stared at each other in an awkward silence for a few seconds. Finally, Angel and Mimi turned their backs on him. Angel cast him one last cautious backward glance before turning to Mimi as she spoke.

"What a weirdo!" Mimi whispered to Angel. "That guy is such a freak-_Ahhhh_!!" She let out a sharp, shrill scream of pain as the stranger suddenly reached out , grabbed her by her long, dark curls and wrenched her back into his chokehold.

"_Mimi_!" Angel screamed, horrified.

The tiny Latina struggled desperately but she was no match for the vise-like grip of the creep. He started to back away, dragging Mimi along with him.

"Angel…" She pleaded with terrified eyes. The man cut her off by tightening his hold, she let out a gasp-squeak of pain. Tears were streaming down her face.

Despite being shaky with fear, Angel stepped forward and demanded through clenched teeth. "_You let her go_!" He backed off slightly, if he was to be caught both he and Mimi would _really_ be in trouble.

The man smiled coldly and gave a soft, mirthless chuckle. "Hey…I'm just trying to have fun with the little cunt…that's all." His eyes glittered dangerously. "What are you going to do about it? You little shit!"

Mimi's quiet sobbing drove Angel over the edge. In a flash he reached into his pocket and whipped out a good sized, switchblade knife. He aimed it at the man with a menacing look in his eye. "I said let her go, you _bastard_! If you don't I _will_ use this…I'm not afraid!"

The man stood frozen. He stared at the slight boy, unsure of what to do.

Angel took a lightning quick swipe at him to show he was serious. He slashed the man's right arm, sending a river of blood slowly dripping from his open wound.

The man let out a grunt of pain and released his hold on Mimi, who turned around and kicked him between the legs as hard as she possibly could.

"_Goddammit_! You little _fuck_!" He hissed, stumbling back, his face white.

Before he could grab her again, she dodged his grasp and ran behind Angel.

"You come over here and I'll _kill_ you!" Angel shrieked in a rage. The man looked around nervously…this whole ordeal was beginning to attract attention. Adults were coming toward them.

Angel took another swipe at the man. He dodged it and took off running away from the scene with some other men in hot pursuit, chasing him down. They were determined not to let him get away.

Mimi squeezed Angel tightly. With shaking hands, Angel dropped the knife and hugged her back. Both of them collapsed onto the grass, sobbing in relief.

"You okay, chica? Did he hurt you?" Angel asked,concerned.

Mimi shook her head furiously, unable to speak at first. "N-no. What they say is true…I saw my life flash before my eyes! I thought I was going to die!" She let loose a fresh stream of tears.

"Shhhh. It's okay." Angel whispered gently. He stroked her hair and soothed, rocking her slightly. " The police are coming…it's going to be okay…"

After a few moments her hysterical sobbing quieted down, then subsided completely. She pulled back to look at her friend, her eyes wide and curious. The color had returned to her face.

"Hey, Ang?" She asked between hiccups. "Where did you get that knife??"

Angel smiled at her. "Oh…that? One of my older brothers gave it to me a few months ago. Y'know…for protection. I didn't think I'd ever have to use it!"

"Oh." Mimi nodded, impressed. "So do you carry it around with you all the time?"

Angel laughed. "Nope. I don't even like weapons. It's a good thing I brought it with me today, though!"

"Yeah! Angel…you were like a samurai or something! That was amazing!"

Angel's grin turned into a shy smile. He blushed slightly. " Well…that kick you gave him was pretty good, too!"

Mimi beamed. "Thank you!"

The friends fell into silence for a few moments. Then Mimi pulled Angel into a tight hug.

"Gracias for saving my life, Angel. I'll never forget it."

Angel returned the embrace. "De nada, Mimi. You're my friend and I love you."

THE END


End file.
